F As In Frank Toronto Store Launch!

F As In Frank opened their doors last night introducing Toronto to their newest location situated at 418 Queen St West, downtown Toronto.  Jesse and Drew Heifetz and the homie Chris "Landlord" Morrison decided to bring their vintage collection to Toronto, which also aligns with their Vancouver location. 

"Their first store opened in 2007, a new addition to the Whistler shopping experience. It supplied an eclectic collection of vintage clothing and was a ‘one of a kind’ shopping experience. F AS IN FRANK quickly gained a cult following in the area, leading to the opening of their larger and more innovative location in Vancouver. With the growth of their wholesale business both in Vancouver and in Toronto, the retail location is never in short supply and has the largest and most curated selection in the city."

Yep business is good. With custom interior like an imported front counter from Niagara, handcut shelving and metal piping for display, even tree trunks were brought into zen the shop. Old school ghetto blasters, a vintage Singer sewing machine from the early 1900's and an analog bagphone??  Yup they are true to the brand and vision. 

 International Wholesalin', retailin', basically stuntin', F As In Frank has all your vintage and throwback needs, keeping true to the streetstyle genre of originality and individuality. Snapbacks, vintage rock tees, shoes and accessories galore, who needs ebay?? F As In Frank has got your back. 

https://fasinfrankvintage.com/

Shaved heads unite:

Below:

Drew, Me, Chris "Landlord" and Jesse

You can also check out my facebook page for exclusive pics of the event!

Large On The Streets: Dipset's Vado's in Toronto Sept 30th

HEY! 

What are you doing on September 30th and Oct 1st? That's what I thought...you're gonna be hangin' with us and our FRONT LINE UNION fam while we kick it with Dipset's VADO as he jams at Traffik Night Club @ 287 Richmond St. W in T.Dot. on Sept 30th! Also you can check out his performance at Club 77 @ 77 King William St in Hamilton on Oct 1st. Both venues are also featuring a performance from female recording artist Diamond from the My Chick Bad remix!

Vado: Large On The Streets

Big up on the Big L sample!

Click here for the Facebook link on the event.

Vado lookin' fresh:

image source: hiphopmusicdotcom.com

See you there!

Freedom Walk 2011

Freedom. 

To be FREE. Free from everything that binds us down, robs us of who we are and takes away what chances we have in life.

[free-them] is an organization of dedicated and passionate people, founded with the belief and heart to fight global human trafficking and abolish the modern day slave trade.  

You'd think stuff like this doesn't exist in Canada but the statistics are actually pretty scary. The media also doesn't cover everything and it's almost like it's taboo to talk about these things or even address some of these issues. It's also so glamourized on TV and in movies. Looking for a great time? "Ya man let's head over to the nudie bar and watch some pussy and have some drinks!" Everyone is guilty in some way shape or form of somehow funding these sick organizations. Even watching porn. Hit up the strip club, yep. Who knows what happens behind closed doors. There's rhyme and reason for everything. 

If you're interested in getting involved with [free-them] or educating yourself on this global issue, you can visit their www.freethem.ca and www.forfreedomsake.ca . They are also still accepting donations until October!

Check out some images below of their 2nd annual Freedom Walk 2011 that I attended on September 18th. It was such a powerful feeling to see such a massive turn out of supporters unified for this cause. The organizers themselves were so overwhelmed with the response that more Metro cops were needed to help chaperone the event.  

A HUGE SHOUT OUT AND THANKS TO THOSE WHO PLEDGED ME! I will always have your backs!

Location: 77 Adelaide St W, Downtown Toronto

Seven for All Mankind Yorkdale Launch!

I went to the 7FAM flagship store opening launch party at Yorkdale Mall yesterday and it was a sardine fest. It was so rammed with people you had to literally throw dem 'bows to get around.  Aside from the lack of space though, it was great! A lot of familiar faces, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, tunes by DJ Vaneska, loads of denim and some truly spectacular artwork. 

The soirée was hosted by Canadian-Somali supermodel Yasmin Warsame, which also featured a silent auction with all proceeds of the night solely dedicated and donated to The African Future, a charitable organization delivering food and medical services to the victims of drought in Somalia.  Amazing!

The store itself also featured and will continue to showcase the Seven Senses which is a group exhibit of 7 Toronto based artists: Caitlin Cronenberg, Justin Broadbent, Elicser, Curtis Santiago, Phoebe Lo, Bryan Espiritu and Julie Moon. The show will continue to run from August 31st-September 8th.

Below are some pics of the event.  You can catch the rest of them on my Facebook page. 

Bryan Espiritu's piece:

I am seriously turned on my this lol: 

Ashley Joseph! I saw her tank and beelined for her lol. Her's is the clean version. 

The denim in various cuts and styles. I like Seven's as they mould to my hips and ass, aka a great buy.

Me!

The Rundown:

Sweater: Voeu T Laxe

Leather Shorts: Zara

Accessories: Club Monaco braided belt, BCBG heels, LV Tivoli tote, RetroSuperFuture frames, beaded natural stone bracelets by SoHo Monet

A Face, A Name: Book Launch Party and Art Show

Well and Good partnering with Transmitter Studios, tag teamed it to bring us a beautiful collaboration of artwork in the form of a book called A Face A Name*People Doing Well and Good. Showcasing various creative minds sharing their passions for all things heartfelt and visually stunning, each emerging artist allow us to see the world how it's translated through their eyes. Working with all types of mixed media, the book is a diverse celebration of contemporary art with the likes of graffiti, photography, sculpture, screenprinting and so much more.

Sounds cool? You can purchase your copy here

The launch and art show was also housed at Toronto's own The Baitshop, which serves as a rustic farmhouse chic retail store carrying the freshest gear, as well as a chill hang out and gallery, complete with a skateboarding ramp and a print shop to service your printing needs. 

Always Endures by Juliana Neufeld

Herbie by Gene Starship

DC Canada's team rider Mitch Barrette 

You can check out SoHo Monet's Facebook page for more pics of the event.

Toronto Alternative Fashion and Arts Week 2011: Friday April 29th, Day 4

The last day of FAT 2011 was full of anticipation and the venue was buzzing. Parking was a bitch and it took me 20 minutes to find a spot. Great expectations as they say and it definitely went above and beyond...literally...keep on reading and you'll see what i mean...

I missed quite a few runway and performances unfortunately but check out the pics below from what I did catch:

Antonella Sigismondi's The Coochie Store which features a line of eclectic lingerie:

Louis J. Manzo and Baby Steinberg teamed up to present us with their debut line Miller Monroe: WO*MAN which graces us with a contemporary and exclusive twist on menswear. 

I loved when the models came out with longboards and plaid patterned garments and coordinating wraps. It was fresh and laidback vibing a cool and comfortable spin on sexual masculinity. 

Translation: Stand out and be an individual...fuck everyone else! Words to live by...

Fashion Whore was glitzy and fun. Not anything I would rock personally but it was entertaining and a great show!

And finally, the last day of FAT 2011 ended with a spectacular theatrical runway performance from Imagozine. 

There's soooo much that was involved with this performance so instead of rewriting everything, you can click the below link to catch it in full on FAT's blog:

http://fashionarttoronto.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/imagozine-fat-2011/

And here are some pics of some attendees:

Ms Precious Keyz:

Hans Munoz of Isaac Boldt:

So in conclusion, it was an honor officially blogging for FAT 2011 and being in the presence of such talented and truly gifted artists. It's such a pleasure to be apart of something that supports artists who aren't afraid to be different and take risks in this dog eat dog industry. I'm a true believer and 100% supporter of the arts and more than anything, feel you should never compromise who you are. At the end of the day, if people don't love or respect you for you...just tell them to GO FUCK THEMSELVES.

Cheers!!